Changing Times, Change Minds
by Cynical.Singer
Summary: After Aune's death, Ryder is forced to take upon himself the responsibilty of his family and his new-found love, whom is much more familiar than he thinks. Will he ever find out what happened to his brother? Read to find out.


**A/N: I DO NOT OWN THE WARRIORS SERIES. But these characters are simply mine and _Sharpestspoon's_ SO ENJOY THE CRACK-FILLED SLASHY GOODNESS WITH A HINT OF HARRY POTTER! Yes, I am sorry for throwing this abomination together and putting it online as fast as I could, but if I didn't Komatsu might've killed me.**

**So. ERIN HUNTER OWNS THE WARRIORS SERIES, AND J.K. ROWLING OWNS HARRY POTTER.**

**Also, check out _Sharpestspoon's_ delicious story called "I'm still Here." It is really, really delicious. Seriously.**

ThunderClan

Leader:  
>Patientstar(A dark brown she cat with gray eyes.)<br>(Frozenfang's mate)  
>A thoughtful, patient leader who is usually quiet;Pensive. Does not like to hide things from her clan, but will if Starclan tells her so.<p>

Deputy:  
>Eaglesoul (A small silver cat with black stripes and a blue-gray tail. Her eyes are light gold)<br>Calm, but has a bad temper. She loves kits and previously didn't have any of her own. Her mother was killed by a badger, but she harbors no grudge. She tends to know a lot about medicine because of a past life, but she loves her warrior duties.

(Mate:Embergaze)

Medicine cat:  
>Embergaze (A black tom with extremely long claws, and long fur. He has amber eyes that seem to stare into your soul.<em>)<em>  
>A wise yet spazzy cat.<p>

(Mate: Eaglesoul)

Warriors:

Goldenvenom (A threatening black tom with piercing yellow eyes.)

A short tempered, strong willed warrior.

Spidershine (A bluish black she-cat with hazel eyes.)

An untrusting, shy cat, who, like her name is quick to bite.

[Love interest: Golden Venom]

Frozenfang (A tom with snow white fur and dark blue eyes)  
>(Patientstar's mate)<br>A calm, optimistic cat who really isn't unique in any way.

Burningdawn (A black furred tom with mystic amber eyes.)  
>A loud energetic cat who can be serious and harsh at unexpected times. He's often pretty random and spazzy, just like his dad. He is pretty overconfident, and this usually gets him into trouble. He's known for being protective of his friends and family.<br>(Eaglesoul's and Embergaze's son)

Blackstream (A large black she-cat with gold eyes.)  
>A friendly cat who is probably the best hunter ThunderClan has seen thus-far. She may be able to stand up to an adder by herself (as she has many times) but give her a spider and she will be running for the hills.<p>

(Eaglesoul's and Embergaze's daughter)

Shiningfern (A medium-sized silver tom with one light gold eye, and one amber eye.)  
>The unmistake-able prodigy of the clan. He is always the one to find a solution to a problem and often gets dreams sent from Starclan.<br>(Eaglesoul's and Embergaze's son)

Apprentice:

Nightpaw (A brown tabby with green eyes, and a deep scar that goes down the length of his belly.)

A strong fighter who was adopted by the clan after a Shadowclan cat abandoned him as a kit, bleeding, on Thunderclan grounds. He is Spiritpaw's only true friend, but feels nothing for her.

Foxflight (A reddish brown tom with dark golden eyes)

A rather small tom who is known for his outgoing personality, and ability to find any herb on command.

Apprentice:

Spiritpaw ( A silver and white she cat with violet eyes.)  
>A curiously smart apprentice who is wise beyond her years.<br>[Patientstar and Frozenfang's daughter.]

Stormheart (A dark gorgeous tom with chocolate brown eyes, and long deep scars down his legs.)  
>A strange tom, who has the strange ability to make friends where-ever he goes, despite the fact he does not trust anyone but Patientstar. He secretly likes to take dips in the river just for the hell of it, on the off occasion that he ever gets free time.<p>

Apprentice:

Bronzepaw (A tortoiseshell she-cat with striking blue eyes)  
>A protective, strong she cat with a mind of her own, who was found on the edge of Thunderclan territory as a kit with no idea how to speak cat-english. She had to be retaught how to speak entirely, and still sometimes speaks in her native language-Japanese.<p>

VVV. Lives in Castle Oblivion . VVV

Eclipsestripe (A black and gray tabby she-cat with metallic green eyes.)  
>A very quiet, shy cat who usually only lets words slip when she is either shocked about something, or has something to add. She has a fierce temper, and is well renowned for her bite.<br>(Love interest: None)  
>[Human Name: Claire]<br>(Lightningblaze's and Shadowfire's daughter)  
>A very muscular, petite girl. 5'0 Her hair is so blonde it looks white, and she has a very metallic looking shade of green for her eyes.<br>Orientation: Straight

Scarletwings ( A ginger tom with black paws and a black spot around his left eye. His eyes are a bluish yellow but go to green every once in a while.)  
>A soft hearted, sensitive cat who is such a hopeless romantic that he puts Shakespeare to shame.<br>[Human name: Ryder]  
>(Lightningblaze's and Shadowfire's son)<br>A tall somewhat buff male with pale skin and cute freckles. His hair is dark brown and spiky like his fathers, although not to that extent. His eyes are usually a bluish yellow but once in a while end up green.

Orientation: Unknown

-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ryder's point of view.

The eerie silence of the castle unnerved me as I walked cautiously through the hallways, looking around for anything suspicious. The moment I got home, an unending feeling of fear swept over me, which, naturally, meant something was wrong. My instincts never failed to amaze me, to be honest. For some reason I've always had a better grasp on things than most humans do. For the most part I blame this on my parents, who have always been there for me, despite my extremely noticeable differences as a child.

Suddenly the delicate silence broke with a resounding, blood-curdling scream and a crash.

My heightened sense of hearing lead me straight to the noise-My parents room. As I opened the door, a revolting sight met my eyes. There my mom was, laying on the floor bleeding profusely from her mouth, eyes dark and glassy. To my surprise, she wasn't yet dead. What would I say to her? She would be gone soon. That I knew was true.

"Ryder," she sputtered, "get my phone from the desk. Call Ysh in my contacts. Tell her that- Tell her, that Axel was too late and that I'm sorry."

"Who did this to you?" I asked, my voice cracking in sadness.

"It doesn't matter-" She said, pausing to spit out blood, "but, I want you to know... I'll support you no matter what you decide to do."

"What?" Fear and anxiety enveloped me.

"I love you Ryder." She whispered, one last time.

"..."

Just like that, she was gone, as she had faded right before my very eyes.

Tears immediately spilled down my face, and as I dropped to my knees, the door opened.

"Ryder?"

I sniffled, running a hand through my brown hair, ignoring that Claire, my sister had just walked in.

"Mom's gone Claire..." I said.

Due to the fact that she was silent, I knew she was shocked.

"Really?" She responded, her voice cracking.

I nodded.

The silence lasted like that for a few minutes, until she hugged me, which was when I realized she was crying also. Ten more minutes passed until I let go, and I then explained we needed to get into our mom's desk.

"So, do you want me to do it?" She asked quietly.

"Please? You know how terrible I am at wielding fire." I asked.

Claire suddenly turned to face the mahogany desk and then she slowly walked towards it, placing her hands directly on the poor old piece of furniture. It had been there ten years before Axel ever existed, and thirty years before her mother, Aune ever walked in this place. After feeling around on the desk, Claire found the two distinct hand-prints her mother burned into the wood by accident when she was first coming to terms with her elementalism.

I watched as my sister's hands began to shimmer blue, as she was the only one of us that got the coveted phoenix fire trait. The smell of singed wood erupted in the room, comforting the both of us for what was likely not going to be the last time.

The hidden desk drawer opened with a click, revealing to us only some sticky notes, a green cellphone, and a large red journal with the name Aune embroidered on it.

I reached out, grabbed the cellphone, and began searching through the contacts for this "Ysh" person, whoever it was. Once I found her in the list, I pressed the send button and was greeted with two or three rings before a feminine voice answered the phone.

"This dream-service call is active. Ysh is asleep. What is the reason for your call?" A recording said.

"My mother told me to-" I started but was interrupted by the sound of ringing on the other line.

"Who are you?" The voice asked, only this time it wasn't a recording.

"I'm Ryder, Aune's son." I replied patiently.

"Oh... Wait one second." It commanded.

Suddenly I found myself in a meadow with an adorable silver cat with black stripes and a blue-gray tail sitting in my lap. The she cat looked up at me, with her light gold eyes in surprise.

"It's not a good thing that you were transported into my dream Ryder. What happened to Aune? I'll hex that-" The kitty began to say.

"Mom is gone Ysh. She told me to tell you that dad was too late, and that she is sorry..."

I felt Ysh shudder in my arms, and watched as her light gold eyes watered sorrowfully.

"In two hours or so, take the journal from the desk and flip through the pages until you see a portrait that feels familiar to you. It will take you and your sister to my world, and we will bring you in to see Patientstar, our Leader. Hopefully, she will allow us to adopt you into our clan. I'll explain all to you in a later time, but for now, just hang tight at home." Ysh said, sighing.

"Okay... But... Who are you?" I asked.

"I was one of your parents' best friends before they chose their path there." She said, and looked up to the sky above us in the meadow.

"You have to go Ryder, it's time for me to wake up, and you can't get stuck in my mind."Ysh said.

"How?" I asked, confused.

Just then it all vanished and I was thrust onto the white carpet in my parents' former room. My breathing accelerated as soon as I hit the ground.

"RYDER? ARE YOU OKAY?" Claire screamed worriedly.

"Yeah, geez calm down!" I said, partially glaring at her.

"Don't ever call anyone on that phone again... You weren't breathing, and I didn't know what to do-"

"Just shut up Claire. Seriously. You are getting on my nerves right now and my lungs hurt. In about two hours we have to look through the journal and travel worlds. Go take your medication. I can't have you dying on me during dimensial-transportation." I commanded, taking control of the situation.

Claire glared at me menacingly, and left without saying a word.

I then sat down on my parents' bed, looking at the red and gold comforter for some sign of hope. First my brother goes missing, and now my parents die? I sighed.

'Someone really must have it out for me...' I thought.

Immediately after, the silence was broken by the sound of shoes hitting the hallway floor.

Tmp Tmp Tmp Tmp Tmp CLICK Tmp Tmp Tmp Tmp Tmp Tmp

…

I took a deep breath in, preparing for the worst. I watched, almost in slow motion, as the door knob turned. I waited patiently, ignoring the uncontrollable fire that welled within my chest. Unfortunately for this person, that fire wasn't figurative.

The millisecond the door opened, my heart sank into my stomach. The person behind the door was absolutely radiant, and strangely enough of the male persuasion. I lost myself standing there, watching as this dark haired beauty walked towards me. I looked into his eyes, both of the finest amber, and knew that I was done for.

"Hey, kid. You alright?" The beautiful stranger asked.

I broke myself from my reverie, and nodded.

"What's your name?" I asked nervously.

"I'm sorry! I'm Burningdawn, Ysh's son. She sent me here to help you guys along through the portal."The stranger asked confidently.

I bit my lip, trying to resist the strange attraction I felt for him.

"That's right. What will we be needing there?" I asked, curiously, my determination building.

I could see there was something wrong by the look on his face.

"You won't be needing any personal things there... You will have to leave this entire place behind." He said.

My eyes started to well up with tears, I realized, at the thought of leaving my birthplace.

Burningdawn apparently saw this, and hugged me. It was in that very moment that I understood, he was the only thing that could ever make me sane again. Of course...That doesn't make me crazy...Does it? His touch is electrifying. The way my heart pounds against my ribcage was like nothing I'd ever been in contact with before. Was this love at first sight or just me making it that way? Surely, I must have been imagining all of this.

The way his strong arms held me tightly against him makes me feel so safe...

I looked up at him, freely letting the tears flow down my face.

"Aw...Kid, don't cry-"

I kissed his soft lips, looking for any sign of a flaw in this vision of perfection in front of me. I watched his eyes close as he kissed me back, and suddenly found myself closing my eyes too as he deepened the kiss ever so slightly...

"WHAT THE FUCK GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF HIM!" Claire screamed, and we broke apart, shocked.

Her eyes were sharp as she stomped over to the 'intruder' and picked him up by the collar of his shirt, tearing it slightly.

"What the hell do you think you are doing to my brother?" She glared.

"Get off of him Claire..." I said.

"Why?" Claire asked, turning around, but never once loosening her grip.

"Just do it! "I responded beginning to get furious.

"No!"

"I kissed HIM. Get the fuck off of him. NOW." I said, authoritative.

Claire let him go, allowing him to hit the floor with an, "Ow..."

I walked over, and helped him up , giving him an apologetic hug.

"You're gay...?" She said, eyes dull with disinterest.

"Shut up!" I responded.

Claire laughed. That's right. Laughed.

So, understand when I slapped her, that I was pissed. However pissy I am though, I never meant to actually BURN her face, though I wasn't kind enough to feel bad.

"You can bitch all you want, but you are going with us and our parents ARE gone. So that means for now, I'm in charge. Now... Go get your amulet, and I'll get mine. You know what to do with it." I commanded, giving her a death stare.

Claire left the room silent, crying.

That was when I started to feel bad. However, I shrugged it off and helped Burningdawn up, leading him to my room.

"Wow, this is so weird..." Burningdawn said.

"How?" I asked, glancing back while rummaging through my drawer.

"It's really familiar." He responded.

"I see..."I said, turning to face him, with the amulet, blue and silver delicate beauty in hand.

I put it around my neck, and closed my eyes.

The delicate blue stone within the shiny silver lit up for a few seconds, and then returned to normal.

I stared at it for a few moments, shocked slightly.

Then, I looked up at Burningdawn, contemplating the dazed look in his eyes. For a few moments, his amber eyes looked devoid of all emotion. Which, to be honest, frightened me to no end.

"Burningdawn-?"

He pressed his lips to mine fervently for what seemed like the hundredth time, pulling me closer to him with sheer ease. How did this happen to me? What happened to the brother Shock left behind? I never asked for this. I never wanted this for myself, or Claire... I knew that this would be the way it ended, though. It had to be this way. My parents never aged at all, not since they left mom's place of origin. I knew eventually people would come after them for their immortality. The likelihood that I wouldn't age past this point was high as well, no matter where I went.

This is the problem with hybrids like me, we're unnatural...Therefore, unpredictable. Sometimes, immortality is a side effect, others, much like in 'Maximum Ride', we only have so many years to live until we fade to black, shimmering dust. As for now, I don't know which I am, but my brother is missing, and my sister, who had been close to him, knows why, somewhere deep in her sub-conscience. I believe someday, I'll be able to find the reverse memory charm, and therefore know the truth of what happened all those months ago.

Just then, in the middle of my long angsty inner monologue of epic proportions, Burningdawn pressed me against the wall, and began kissing my neck, earning a lusty moan from my throat. I felt my face heat up and knew automatically that I was blushing.

"B-burningdawn- nngh..." I moaned as he softly bit a rather sensitive part of my neck.

He giggled, yes giggled, as he released me from his iron-grip.

I was honestly clueless on what to do here. It was weird...Almost as if I had met him before. As if my body remembered something that my mind could not.

I shook my head and grabbed my wand from the desk, a nine inch yew beauty with dragon heartstring for a core. I had barely used it since I became of age, but still found comfort in the power it gave me, merely by looking at it.

I pressed the hidden button on the side of it, causing it to transform into a silver charm in the shape of a lion, meant for the blue amulet, in case of an emergency. I suppose that meant mom was paranoid for a reason, then. I finally took the charm, and set it on top of the stone part of the blue amulet. The blue gem then swallowed the charm whole, and took the shape of a lion, just like the charm had. This would allow me to cast spells without words, or the flick of a wand. Perfect for me, especially if that meant I was going into another world. I put the amulet around my neck, and whispered words in a language not even I myself could remember. The amulet vanished within me,likely not to be seen again for a very long time.

Claire burst into the room, again.

"THE PORTAL IS OPEN! COME ON WE HAVE TO GO!" She screamed urgently, and ran again, out the door.

I grabbed Burningdawn by the wrist, and dragged him where I was sure Claire was going. Towards mom's journal, in the room my -our- parents' once resided in. As we got there we took sight of the purple-black portal, and Burningdawn had only time to say one thing before we were sucked in to the darkness.

"STAY CALM, I'LL LEAD YOU THERE!" He screamed.

-x-

**So. DID YOU LIKE THE CLIFFY? :DDD Sorry, a bit pumped. Anyways, tell me what you think guys, and don't forget to pay _Sharpestspoon's _page a visit. Feel free to read and rate, as much as you'd like.**


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